by Steve Jones, USA TODAY Sports

by Steve Jones, USA TODAY Sports

The Central Florida football team pulled off a stunning 21-point comeback on the University of Louisville on Friday night, and when the Cardinals responded in the final minutes, UCF stunned and shocked them again in a 38-35 victory

UCF quarterback Blake Bortles' winning 2-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Godfrey with 23 seconds left capped a 75-yard drive over the final three minutes and silenced a sellout crowd of 55,215 - nearly all clad in red - at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.

It was a gutsy victory for UCF (5-1, 2-0 American AthleticConference) and a painful, surprising loss for U of L, which led 28-7 early in the third quarter and was up again 35-31 in the closing minutes.

But U of L's defense, which had led the FBS in fewest points allowed and was second in fewest yards allowed, was gashed for 446 total yards, including 269 in the second half.

"We had our opportunities, and we just didn't finish it," U of L coach Charlie Strong said. "That's the first time we played bad on defense. â?¦ We took the lead there late in the game â?¦ and had a chance to win it, and we just didn't go out there and finish it on defense."

The Cards (6-1, 2-1), who were widely predicted to go undefeated in the regular season, saw their chances of reaching a second consecutive BCS bowl seriously damaged, with UCF now leading them by a game in the early AAC standings and holding the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Bortles passed for 250 yards and two touchdowns and had a big second half in going toe-to-toe with U of L star Teddy Bridgewater, whose Hail Mary pass at the horn fell incomplete in the end zone.

Bridgewater, who finished 29 of 38 passing for 341 yards and two TDs, tried to stay upbeat after the game.

"We'll move forward," he said.

The Cards took a big step back in the last quarter and a half.

U of L led 14-7 at halftime, then surged to a three-touchdown advantage early in the third quarter.

Dominique Brown, who was a workhorse with 88 rushing yards and 41 receiving yards, carried five times on the opening drive of the second half, capped by a 20-yard touchdown run on which he hurdled one his own blockers who was lying on the ground.

Then U of L freshman James Quick scooped up a fumbled snap by the UCF punter with his left hand and blazed 30 yards to the end zone for his first career TD.

At that point the Cards were up 28-7 with 7:52 to play in the third, and looked like they would deliver a blowout in their 100th game at the stadium.

But the Knights had other plans. They scored three touchdowns before the end of the quarter to tie it - on a run by Storm Johnson, a pass from Bortles to Johnson after Senorise Perry's fumble and a run by William Stanback.

After a U of L punt, the Knights then drove for a 34-yard field goal to take a 31-28 lead with 7:36 to go.

It was the first time the Cards had trailed all season.

"It was like, 'Wow, they really just tied the game up that fast?' " safety Hakeem Smith said.

The Cards responded with a nine-play, 88-yard drive to take 35-31 lead on a 15-yard run by Brown with three minutes remaining. Bridgewater's improvised, scrambling shovel pass to Brown on the previous play was a highlight of the night, and a UCF pass-interference penalty on a throw to DeVante Parker on fourth down had kept the drive alive.

Parker, who returned from a shoulder injury that kept him out of last week's game, had five catches for 66 yards and a touchdown.

Wide receiver Eli Rogers said U of L's first loss this season is more painful than its first one last year, a defeat at Syracuse after a 9-0 start.

"This loss was a dagger," said Rogers, who tied a career high with 10 catches for 95 yards and scored a TD for the fourth straight game. "Last year we were on the road, and we were still getting used to learning how to win. â?¦ This loss really hurt because we had high expectations."

Strong said the Cards still can accomplish major goals, but they'll need help.

"We still have a chance to win the conference," he said. "Now we're one behind (UCF). We've got to continue to play well and get better."

He said he won't have trouble keeping the team motivated now that a chance at an undefeated season is over.

"They've heard enough" negative talk already, Strong said. "When we were undefeated, we still heard it (because of their strength of schedule), so that's why I keep telling them they're the best team in college football."

Steve Jones also writes for The Courier-Journal

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